The Eastern Grasslands consist largely of arid desert, canyon systems, salt flats, and scattered oasis regions. The area is inhabited by multiple ethnolinguistic groups collectively referred to by outsiders as “The Desert Cats,” though the peoples themselves rarely identify under a unified name.

The primary desert groups include the Zarakh, the Akharu, and the Lheshai, each possessing distinct languages, customs, histories, and territorial boundaries. While their languages are not mutually intelligible, they are believed to share distant linguistic ancestry, having evolved from ancient proto-desert dialects shaped by isolation, migration, and environmental pressures.



Despite their differences, the desert peoples share several convergent adaptations due to the harsh climate of the Eastern Grasslands. These include lean physiques, elongated limbs, heat-resistant pawpads, nocturnal or crepuscular activity patterns, and highly efficient water conservation. Pale, sandy, or reflective coats are common among many populations.



Culturally, water holds deep symbolic and practical importance across nearly all desert societies, though beliefs surrounding it vary considerably between groups. Oral storytelling traditions, territorial markings, weather-reading, and reverence for ancestors are similarly widespread.



The Zarakh primarily inhabit the open dunes and rocky wastelands, developing harsh, militaristic societies centered around endurance and territorial dominance. The Akharu are more commonly found around oasis routes and migratory territories, maintaining extensive trade networks and complex interclan diplomacy. The Lheshai dwell within canyon systems and thorn valleys, known for their quiet speech, spiritual traditions, and isolationist tendencies.



Relations between these groups have historically fluctuated between trade, cultural exchange, territorial conflict, and long-standing feuds. Forest Clowders frequently oversimplify the desert peoples as a single cultural identity, despite the significant distinctions between them.